Def Jam boss Shakir Stewart kills himself at Georgia home

Shakir Stewart signed Beyoncé and Ciara when he worked for Hitco, and signed Rick Ross and Young Jeezy to Def Jam.

Shakir Stewart signed Beyoncé and Ciara when he worked for Hitco, and signed Rick Ross and Young Jeezy to Def Jam.

A music executive who signed Beyoncé and ran hip-hop heavyweight Def Jam Recordings committed suicide by shooting himself in the head, officials said Sunday.

Shakir Stewart, 34, was found lifeless in the bathroom of his suburban Atlanta home late Saturday, killed by a single gunshot wound, police said.

Stewart took over Def Jam in June, following in the large footsteps of Jay-Z, the Brooklyn-born rap legend.

It was not immediately clear why Stewart killed himself, and police did not comment on whether the exec left a suicide note in his Marietta, Ga., home.

"Whatever happened over the past 24 hours is not a testament to who we all know," said longtime friend Christopher Hicks, a fellow music executive. "He was a one-of-a-kind individual," Hicks said.

Stewart was born in Oakland, Calif., moved to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College and helped establish the Southern city's contemporary hip-hop and R&B scene. When he worked for the Hitco publishing company, he signed the then-unknown Beyoncé Knowles and later discovered the sultry songstress Ciara. For Def Jam, he later inked rap stars Rick Ross and Young Jeezy. His record label put out a statement Sunday that described Shakir as "an amazing man, in every sense of the word."

Shakir Stewart signed Beyoncé and Ciara when he worked for Hitco, and signed Rick Ross and Young Jeezy to Def Jam.

Shakir Stewart signed Beyoncé and Ciara when he worked for Hitco, and signed Rick Ross and Young Jeezy to Def Jam.

A music executive who signed Beyoncé and ran hip-hop heavyweight Def Jam Recordings committed suicide by shooting himself in the head, officials said Sunday.

Shakir Stewart, 34, was found lifeless in the bathroom of his suburban Atlanta home late Saturday, killed by a single gunshot wound, police said.

Stewart took over Def Jam in June, following in the large footsteps of Jay-Z, the Brooklyn-born rap legend.

It was not immediately clear why Stewart killed himself, and police did not comment on whether the exec left a suicide note in his Marietta, Ga., home.

"Whatever happened over the past 24 hours is not a testament to who we all know," said longtime friend Christopher Hicks, a fellow music executive. "He was a one-of-a-kind individual," Hicks said.

Stewart was born in Oakland, Calif., moved to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College and helped establish the Southern city's contemporary hip-hop and R&B scene. When he worked for the Hitco publishing company, he signed the then-unknown Beyoncé Knowles and later discovered the sultry songstress Ciara. For Def Jam, he later inked rap stars Rick Ross and Young Jeezy. His record label put out a statement Sunday that described Shakir as "an amazing man, in every sense of the word."

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